Launch of TawakiCam
TawakiCam (https://tawaki.cam) our long-anticipated live penguin camera that’s now streaming from the remote Antipodes Islands in the New Zealand subantarctic! After more than two and a half years of planning, testing and overcoming setbacks, TawakiCam went live on 17 January 2026 at 12 pm NZST, bringing audiences from around the world closer than ever to one of Aotearoa’s most elusive penguin species.
What Is TawakiCam?
TawakiCam is a live-streaming camera system designed to bring the secretive lives of Erect-crested penguins (tawaki nana hī) right into your living room, classroom, or research workspace. This hardy and understudied species breeds in some of the most isolated places under New Zealand’s care – places few people ever get to visit. With TawakiCam, we hope to break down that barrier and let the world tune in 24/7.
From now through the late summer months, you’ll be able to watch chicks fledging and penguins navigating the unique rhythms of their annual cycle. After that, the stream will continue through the moulting season and beyond as we track how the colony fares into winter and beyond.
A Project Years in the Making
This milestone didn’t come easily. TawakiCam was born from a mix of innovation, persistence and community support:
- Rigorous development: The team spent years building and stress-testing a camera system capable of operating reliably in one of the harshest and most remote environments on Earth.
- Field trials and perseverance: From early Starlink tests to navigating equipment failures, weather challenges and logistical hurdles, the road to this launch was anything but smooth – but determination saw us through.
- Temporary subantarctic setup: While our longer-term goal remains to relocate TawakiCam back to Fiordland (where Tawaki nesting rainforest sites are), we’re proud that the Antipodes stream is up and running for now.
Thanks to Our Supporters – PledgeMe Success!
A huge part of making TawakiCam a reality was the crowdfunding campaign we ran on PledgeMe back in 2023. That campaign reached its goal thanks to the generosity of pledgers from near and far, providing critical funds to help get this project off the ground. Heaps of thanks to every supporter who helped us get over the line!
This early support didn’t just fund hardware — it validated the idea that people want to connect with tawaki in real time and be part of something bigger.
Why It Matters
TawakiCam is more than just a live stream – it’s a window into life in the wild. By broadcasting the activities of an endangered and little-known penguin species, we hope to:
- Raise public awareness of tawaki and their conservation needs
- Support education and engagement both locally and globally
- Inspire citizen science and community involvement
Whether you’re a penguin enthusiast, teacher, student or just curious about life on the edge of the Southern Ocean, TawakiCam invites you to watch, learn and connect with these incredible birds.